The African e-Journals Project has digitized full text of articles of eleven social science and humanities journals. This item is from the digital archive maintained by Michigan State University Library. Find more at: http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/africanjournals/
Available through a partnership with
Scroll down to read the article. 1. Part of the old Shitta Motque. 2. Old Tinubu Square with fh# former Supreme Court in th* foreground. ^^^^_^^J succeeding material is by no means quaint, despite the 3. Former Carter time of its composition. It was Bridge. originally intended foi presentation [courtesy: Boyles Bar) before a distinguished and learned gathering of surveyors and builders (Royal Institute of Surveyors) who met in Lagos in August 1994 to hobnob on emergent trends in their work at the Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Ikeja; these without the least shred of doubt were the planners and builders of Lagos and Nigeria. Their theme centred around 'Change and Continuity' in the building industry and the key speaker's choice of subject was very useful in setting the tone and the mood as well as sharpening the focus for the assembly's onward exchanges.
The concern of the speaker, David Aradeon, his depth, clarity of tone and close familiarity with his subject (specifically the old, and in most cases now extinct, buildings of Lagos) should be little surprising once we are reminded of his resume: foremost Nigerian architect and scholar; indeed describable in his own language as one of 'the children of the city'. Any surprise then that the story of the emergence, glory and widespread demolition (some voluntarily went down in flames) of vital historical buildings and violation of public spaces, parks and gardens for private use is retold with nostalgia and in parts, restrained outburst ? Some of the more memorable being the old Supreme Court building on Tinubu Square which yielded its space along with other buildings (including the Orange House owned by the Hon Otunba Payne and the residence of Henry Carr designed by Herbert Macaulay) to the now famous Tinubu fountain; the old race course, formerly a stretch of empty space and greenery in the city's heartland, reserved for horse racing and schools' National Day parades (which the author partook in as a child) that has also been swallowed up by the pressnt massive cordons of shopping
African Qvarurly on the Arts •H VtlllNOl I ! of Tradition 5 « m * s «• * I I is
African Quarterly on the A rts VolUNOl complexes. MR. SAM EMIOWELE, Q.S, requested in The extinction of old Lagos and its oral history articulated through concrete structures just that I speak at this conference, and impressive Brazilian masonry is now eduled for September, I had less than a nearly complete. In a sense, whilst we hope nth to put my ideas together. I accepted out with the professionals and members of the informed community that awareness among espect for an old friend to whom I am administrators and decision makers in the ebted. country would help to preserve whatever is left or simply stem the tide of 'the unmaking Fortunately, the conference had to be postponed; even of tradition', this publication is contrived though the political climate for which the postponement was chiefly to pay a tribute to 'fallen Lagos' and made remains largely uncertain, I have had the opportunity to its landmark structures that now remain only David in the minds of those who grew up to know rework my ideas them. Aradeon Sam and I collaborated on a number of projects for which The mission of awareness is by no means we were never paid: the Linear Park, the Lagos State, State House secondary. For as Professor Aradeon onJoelOgunnaike, GRA, Ikeja, and the Faculty of Environmental observes in one of our many recent Design, University of Lagos just to mention some of the most discussions, the tide of waterfront violation exciting. (through sandfilling) again for private houses, is taking over where that of historical A number of weeks ago, the Governor of Lagos went to structures and public spaces left off. As a court over the sharing of public land by the Federal Government. result of this, sections of the Lagos Island (particularly the Victoria Island) became Even though the controversy appears to centre on the conflicts of waterlogged late last year. But work has rights of ownership of land between the State and the Centre, a since re- intensified at sandfilling sites on the larger and even more fundamental issue is at stake. ' famous1 Osborne Road As the Osborne Road land is the site of the Linear Park and lately also, at the Takwa Bay, among which we designed in 1 985, this case promises to raise a whole countless others, drawing much protest from concerned professional unions. series of questions, the most important of which is the issue of public versus private interest; the role of public officials especially Fortunately, concern over the preservation of those in locus' charged with the responsibility of protecting our historical sites and buildings is attracting more international attention. From March system of public parks and public spaces against usurpation and 11,1996, over a period of five days, the appropriation by public action for private interest. United Nations agent for development UNDP spearheaded a conference in Our commitment to the environment appears to be a Bamako, Mali, during which the problem lifetime commitment to issues of public interest The current was given a closer consideration by African political, econopnic and social climate has brought the issues scholars and builders Predictably, Professor more clearly to all of us. Aradeon was in attendance, but his focus lens this time fell on the historical centres of Also, as an Adjunct Lecturer for the years 1980-1984 lle-lfe. when I was Dean of the Faculty and, 1 984-1 986 when I was He recommends to the Bamako conference Department Head, Sam taught Building Economics to generations as he does here that solution to the problem of our students. He was never fully paid his stipulated honorarium is double-edged: increased awareness for many of those years by the University. So as a teacher and among legislative and administrative bodies inspite of indications to the contrary, he shares the hopeless as well as a revision of the schools' curricular to inclose more cultural education. optimism of the teacher and the environmental poverty of our So is a shift of emphasis in professional education system. My presence here today will in no way be a training and orientation to restorative requital of my debts to Mr. Emiowele, if at all, this opportunity to architecture. be present here increases my personal debt I wish to thank the The Editor. Royal Institution of Surveyors for your formal invitation, the privilege to meet and make new friends as well as renew old acquaintances. 1he financial burden imposed on us As surveyors either of the (1) form giving landscape, or (2) of the genre for cost control or (3) of the disposition that nurtures in the last IS years has had a the building for environmental value added, my knowledge of devastating impact on our lives. It your work is at best perfunctory. Therefore I will not even attempt was time we insisted on our lights as to articulate your specializations in this presentation. Rather, in citizens to be consulted at every level seeking a common ground, I would like to speak to you about of governance before a long, what you already know, partly from your professional work and especially a contractor financed partly from your everyday process of living and moving around project loan, is negotiated. in your part of this country.
African Quarterly on the Am VoLllNO3 Governor's residence on the Marino, the old race course's green open fields peeping in from the north. The trees and shrubs are gone
Today, I would like to share with you some of my structure the transportation system on the private motor car. observations and concerns as an average citizen, whose work is The current crisis over the 'correct pricing' of fuel illustrates part of a larger process that shapes and whose life in turn is so succinctly the economic impact on the average workers' shaped by the built environment of this city of Lagos. income. For those on a monthly income of a thousand naira or less, it would make better economic sense to work near the home The City: A Corporate Entity - for less income. In a 1 988 paper, I further observed that on the Compounding Functional Problems Marina, the use of the long strip of land from the State House to I am certain that the real estate surveyors and valuers must the UTC for car parking constitutes an eyesore as well as an inexcusable waste of prime urban land. have noticed a front page publication in the Financial Times of the week, of August 30th. The chairman of the Lagos Island Local Overloading the Debt Burden Government Council announced that construction would soon In addition to these observations, I would now like to raise begin on a N300,000,000 'Multi-storey car park' structure on a number of questions on this proposed N300,000,000 (phase the Marina. The announcement associated Messrs Bouygues I) elevated car park structure on this site. Construction with this project, possibly as a turnkey contractor. First, considering the current cost of the motor car today, As citizens and end users, I would like to ask you to detach how viable is this project as an investment on public transportation? yourself from your professional interests for a moment and think Is there not a viable alternative? The mass transportation system about this project from the interest of the average tax payers. still remains the most attractive. This must be one of those development projects designed Second, the 4,500 cars projected for parking appear to correct some of the problems created by the last one. In a 1 977 dubious. Based on the current 1,500 on existing site, 4,500 is paper, I had decried as environmentally unsightly, the concrete assumed for three floors without consideration for access, ramps encasement of the Island in a continuous ribbon of elevated and structure. Be that as it may, at what price per car per day, ringroad. I suggested as I had done in a Daily Times publication and how long would it take for this project to pay for itself? of 1973, that when a city gets to be as large as Lagos, we have to embark upon a mass transit system rather than continue to Third, has an environmental impact study of this project
African Quarterly on the Arts VtlllNOi been carried out and what are the results? their smartly ironed khakis. They would come marching from their barracks at Ikoyi and Obalende. On that same race course we Fourth, how is this project going to be financed? If by loan would watch the grown ups as the horses raced; on those and whatever the source, we should initiate a process of public occasions, Africans and Europeans were always so elegantly referendum to enable us, the taxpayers and public, decide and colourfully dressed, milling around and, as I understood whether we ere willing to accept the responsibility for this much later, placing bets; still that race course, was polo grounds, financial burden. and several cricket pitches; also, soccer teams of all age groups Finally, this project like any public project will have a played on the course. physical impact on the landscape and a financial implication for Every day the city kids went to the race course to play and the citizens of Lagos Island; judging by the performance of the on the site of the Independence Building the less formal groups last 15 years, we should no longer accept any debt burden for played; they also threw sticks at the almond fruits. The daring kids ourselves let alone for future generations without a wider public would always climb the almond trees; the almonds on the trees consultation. By subjecting this project to the Lagos State Public at the Simpson Street end of the race course were larger These Planning Review Board concerned citizens will have the trees were tall and Simpson Street was shaded and stayed cool opportunity to examine and criticize it while the promoters will all year round. The green in the openness on the race course also have the opportunity to present and defend it. stayed green all year round and everybody had a use of their part The financial burden imposed on us in the last 15 years of the race course. Each evening as I walked home to Onikan has had a devastating impact on our lives. It was time we insisted from the Ferry Terminal, that last Governor General, Sir Robertson on our rights as and I would wave at each citizens to be other, he, on his evening consulted at every walk on the course and I level of on my way home across governance the course before a long, The Concrete especially a Jungle in the Park contractor financed project Then all of a loan, is sudden and in the flush of negotiated. the oil glut, the new governors had a better The City and and brilliant idea. They its Children covered part of my This city, childhood experiences like any old city, is with concrete; life was a tradition. As snuffed out of the expanse citizens, and end of green grass; the users, we are all openness was enclosed part of this and walled off; the trees and their fruits and their tradition. Above: Typical Brazilian fownhouse. shade were killed; and As a Below: Senhor Laxaro Borges da Si/va's Yoyo Araromi house situated at the junction of Tokunbo and Oshodi Streets, went down in flames in 1979. the children of the city primary school (Courtesy: Nigeria Magazine}. could no longer play or pupil in this city, I run on their race course. never missed the We had just discovered May 24th Empire the shopping centre; the Day celebrations boutiques and in the race course. the substantial traders We marched to took over and that part of the music from the city died for its growing school band, children for ever. watched our athletes compete The Governors and in the primary our Development school sports. On that race course, The new governors we also watched said it was development the soldiers and of another kind -the place police parade in for the October 1 st Armed Forces march past. It was
African Quarterly an the Arts VoLHNO3 like commemorating our independence only it was named House, 1960. (Nickson & Borys) and the 31 Storey Necom Tafawa Balewa Square. In my attempt to learn about this kind of House, 1979, (Nickson & Borys) have all compromised the development, I found out about the Red Square and the Black Star privacy and security of the three storey State House, Marina by Square where just about once a year also, the citizens get work locational proximity. free day to watch the soldiers parade But our Tafowa Balewa Tinubu Square: Square was to visually link to the Marina, for naval exercise, and the skies for the airforce formations in flight. Fortunately, the The Meeting Place of Cultures proposed movement to Abu ja halted the dream of the governors According to Vaughan-Richards, Tinubu Square, was by 1 890 the heart of Lagos It was the location of the first Court of Unlike the former governors, most of the new ones knew Justice. During the decade, a bell tower was added to the old what to do with petitions; you could discuss with them, but you Tinubu Methodist Church. The Orange House, the residence of had to find out how to get through. They were really so self the Hon J.A Otunba Payne was one of the landmarks of Tinubu assured; they knew what was good for all of us. It was development Square during this period. In 1918a new Supreme Court was and they always knew what type. As citizens, the choice, type built on the Square and the present fountain donated by the and scale of deve-lopment had become the prerogative of the Lebanese Community in 1960 replaced the 1918 Supreme governors at every level of govern-ance except at the community Court The residence of Henry Carr designed by Herbert Macaulay level. The proliferation of iron grille gates on the public street is on Tinubu Square had to give way to the Mosaics House in 1958. at one level a manifestation of the spirit of community participation. Tinubu Square where several streets converge was an The City's Buildings: codes and symbols important midtown terminal for the Red Municapal Bus service by To the individual, the city's spaces convey meanings to the Messrs J. N. Zarpas. As I observed in an earlier paper on Lagos, codes and symbols of the building and its architecture. At times this landmark Square where the British Colonial, Indigenous and it nurtures an imaginative flight to fancy about the future; at other Expatriate Lagos meet, has grown without any physical evidence times it evokes memories of the past linking space and time. In of the layering of its history. Indeed, the growth of the Square has urban cultures, not only does the duality of space and time coexist so transformed this historical landmark space to the extent that the but in old cities like Lagos, the duality of tradition and modernity architectural styles of each preceding epoch is completely alsocoexist. The built form is an index; a statement of our evolving obliterated. In the introduction to the opening of an exhibition of technology; the articulation of our artistry and craftsmanship. water colour drawings on Brazilian Architecture in 1 990, by Abiola Fashina, I observed that the Fernandez house on the north As a mirror reflection of our lifestyles, it is largely through west corner of the Square, an Afro Brazilian historical landmark the others that we can better appreciate the impact of our in the last decade of the 1 9th century must have stood in elegant attitudes on the environment. Just observe the way the next car is contrast to the old Court of Justice and the Methodist Church. That being driven; reversing on the expressway; driving on the wrong Physically, has survived the context of 'development.' Today side of the street have become part of our driving habits. The Fernandez House can only be recognised by the visual literate pedestrian citizen is used to being pushed off the side walk public and the architectural historical literate as an echo of a past; especially by danfo and taxi drivers. Strangely, police officers a pait that is still very much part of the present; indeed a living appear unconcerned these days. history!
Special Development Pattern: Architecture: Change and noncontinuity Expansion and Continuity I would like to argue that the physical changes we have Where buildings of historical importance have survived, embarked upon in the last forty years have had the unfortunate and there have been many until the current phase of rebuilding impact of the unmaking of tradition. and refenestration, the integrity of the buildings have been The residence of Sir Kitoyi Ajasa was one of the most largely compromised. The 1 967 west extension to the da Rocha important landmarks displaced by the House of Representatives Water House changed the scale and proportion of the main in 1955, and the National Hall, 1960, (Public Works Dept). In house. The space between the apse end of the Christ Church 1973, almost two decades later, the monumental concrete Cathedral and the Bishops Court had been cluttered by a Grandstand on Tafawa Balewa Square by Robin Atkinson was collection of disparate buildings. Even though these buildings todestroythe setting and scale of the House of Representatives. belong to a more recent period, there as no attempt at stylistic The Statuette of Queen Elizabeth II by the famous Nigerian reference to, or acknowledgement of the language of the Gothic Sculptor, Ben Enwonwu, was completely overwhelmed by the architectural style of the cathedral. sheer scab of the new structure Also the apse end of the Roman Catholic Cathedral The loss of the open recreational race course with its green appears crowded-in by the distracting styles ofthe new additions. texture was deplorable enough, but even more deplorable was The competing scale ofthe Dumez towers on Oil Mill Street across the total change of scale of the buildings whose volumes define the west portal entry of the church is an unfortunate distraction. this important colonial historical centre. North West of the race The 1960 south wing addition to the Oba's Palace in Isale course, the 25 Storey Independence Building, 1 960, (Fry, Drew Eko neither acknowledged visual continuity with, nor achieved and the Public Works Department); the 19 Storey Western
African Quarterly on the Arts Vol. 11 NO 3 stylistic relationship to the 1 890 north wing. Also, the rich internal courtyard/spatial texture of the palace was hardly reflected in the extension. Architectural Styles in Lagos
In the second half of the 19th century, four contemporary external architectural influences converged in Lagos. Church architecture expressed in Gothic revival style: The Breadfruit Church, 1880; the Christ Church Cathedral, 1925 by Bagan Benjamin and the Roman Catholic Cathedral, 1936, by Fr. Simon. Second, Colonial public buildings such as the Secretariat on Marina; the Government Printer on Broad Street, and the old General Post Office (circa 1910) whose style is colonial classical based on the English revival of the classical orders. Third,, elegant town house for the educated elite and the merchant class in the Saro-English style. The residence of Dr. Maja on Gerber square, both designed by Herbert Macaulay and the residence of the Hon. Samuel H. Pearce on Olowogbowo are some of the most interesting examples; unfortunately the last two have been demolished.
The fourth and most wide-spread is the Afro-Brazilian Above; Residence of A. W. Thomas on Odunfa Street, the most style which found its expression in private houses. This style baroque of the Afro-Brazilians, covered with the most ornate created a new building type; the southern mosque which plasterwork. was derived and developed from colonial Brazilian church Below: The Vaunghan House, an Afro-Brizilian type, on Kakawa Street, (Courtesy Nigeria Magazine! architecture: the Shitta Bey Mosque, 1882, on Martins Street, by Jaoa Baptista/ Sanusi Aka, and the Central Mosque on Nnamdi Azikiwe byJaoaBaptista/SanusiAka. Of the residences, the Vaughan house and the Waterhouse both on Kakawa Street, Elias da Silva house on Elias and Odufege Street and Fernandez house on Tinubu Square remain some of the most outstanding examples.
A casual study of these mid 19th century buildings reveal a number of shared stylistic similarities.
The composite, Corinthian column with the floral capitals articulating the access to the Secretariat also occurs as engaged and framing columns in the Waterhouse and the Vaughan house where the floral capitals are greatly transformed. We also note the rusticated masonry style of the engaged column in the Secretariat as well as its towers, the old General Post Office; t h e
African Quarterly on the Am Vol. 1/NO 3 Pearse's house, the north facade of the Waterhouse and the vocabulary in domestic architecture from Lagos to Porto Novc south facade of the Lazaro Borges da Silva house. and beyond. The pediment concealing the gable end of the pitch roof on Development and Tradition: the secretariat also occurs on the State House, Marina. In the old Mutually exclusive phenomena General Post office, unfortunately no longer in existence, single length Ionic columns connect two stories. The only known 'Development' has taken a toll of the fine examples of the example of its genrejn Lagos, it was a throw back to the Italian town houses in this city Among the Saro styled houses the Caxton house on Marina; Ijeun house on Wesley and Joseph Street, Renaissance period when Michelangelo created the magnificent giant orders in the renovation of the (Bagan Benjamin) demolished in 1 989 Capital, in Rome. for the Eleganza Towers. 1990; The Pointed Arch of Islamic Wilberforce house, demolished. architectural origins which became a Elephant House circa, 1913, Gothic ecclesiastical idiom, was demolished and replaced by the 20 transformed by Brazilian craftsmanship storey Elephant House 1981, (Modulor into sensitive window glass panes group). The more common Brazilian framed by marvellous curved timber houses with the street facade lines. Lazaro Borges house, no longer expression, highly articulated in existence, provides one of the most fenestration with mouldings rendered fascinating examples. In the Elias da in contrasting pastel colours have fared silva house, the wrought iron balconies even worse. The exuberant Baroque with exquisite fleur de motif details is style old Central Mosque, 1 890, with one of the most important and enduring two rear bell towers by Jaoa Baptista heritage of the Brazilian styles. da Costa/and Sanusi Aka was demolished in 1 984 and replaced by The Brazilian Builder and his the present four minaret 1 4th century Discrete Influence Ottoman model in 1988 (Mogaji). The deep pitch roof with The Branco house on Kakawa protruding and accenting garrets that Street circa 1900, was pulled down opens onto attic spaces,'basket in 1955. On its site was built th-3 handle' arch openings, the portal entry Immigration building by the Public as well as the robust baluster, the Works Department Italian Renaissance creation are some of the shared stylistic elements.
The Brazilian craftsmen, the National Monuments: master builders of this period had so Official neglect View of the Waterhouse from the Devode discretely diffused these styles in their Branco House. The Waterhouse was owned In the period preceding the work to the extent that the stylistic by the Da Roc ha family. View shows fine 1977 Festac in Lagos, the National elements had by the third decades of wrought iron worked balcony. {Courtesy Piene Antiquities Commission, the 20th century become part of this Verger) which had declared the following buildings as national monuments was under pressure by the heirs for financial compensation Fernandez house and Elias da Silva house on Elias and Odufega Streets both stood ageing and continued to show the strains of neglect. The house of Lazaro Borges da Silva on the south east corner of Oshodi and Tokunbo Streets (circa 1900) eventually went down in flames in 1979.
In 1985,the Committee on the Preservation of Historical Buildings and Monuments of Lagos State enpanelled by Governor Mudashiru published a compendium of Buildings and Monuments of Lagos State It was during this period that the Ritz Hotel on Abibu Oki Street went down in flames. The The vocabulary of the Brazilian craftsmen and those that continued in the Committee was in the process of preparing tradition
African Quarterly on the Arts Vol.1/Nil 3 m\ plans for the renovation of A.W.U. Thomas' Ebun house on Above left: Old Elephant House, Broad Street, was one of Odunfa Street for an Art Gallery, when this most the largest of the Brazilian houses, now replaced by 20- exuberant Baroque style in the city went down in flames like a storey Elephant House (1981). pack of cards Above right: The Maja House on Garber square, used to be one of the better preserved houses.
Documentation: Below: Shitta Mosque, financed by Mohammed Shitta Bey one of the muslim notabilities of the 19th century, 19th century architectural landmarks designed by Senhor Joao Baptist da Costa and completed by Sanusi Aka. Pulled down and replaced by a new Unfortunately, documentation on the turn of the 19th Central Mosque (1988). (Courtesy: Boyles Bar). century architectural and-mark is scanty butthe following samples reflect observers attention to details and form: The Wilberforce building was described as 'the most stately house on the Island' (Vaughan-Richards; 1977: 19-20) A.W.U. Thomas Ebun house was nicknamed by Lagos people as 'lie Awosifila' (Aradeon, 1 977; 1 9-20) and 'Petesi Anduru' Folami, 1982, 13). It was also described by an observer as a palatial home that towers so loftily above the Lagos House; it 'testifies eloquently to the success that the Hon. A.W.U. Thomas has achieved (MACMILLAN; 1968: -104); 'The Fernandez house is probably one of oldest and most interesting house in Lagos' (M. Jacks; 1955:110). The Elephant house, the house of Hon. Samuel Herbert Pearse, F.R.G.S., on Pearse Square was described as 'a handsome and palatial residence. It is a home of good foundations, of large and elegantly furnished, rooms, a house beautiful with its roof garden and its delightful turret chamber, where, to the mind attuned to ideals high above mundane
African Quarterly on the Arts VolllNOi things, a perspective may be visioned greater than that of the almost no attention to contextual relevance and historical busy Nigerian port with its emerald Islands and its shimmering association as regards stylistic elements, volume play and street lagoon' (Macmillan; 1968: 97, 8). This house was demolished texture in 1979. Cultural Education Problem of Preservation This evident lack of appreciation of historical antecedents in our built environment reflects a fundamental flaw in our It would appear that in the very nature of the personal education system If our universities are to educate rather than achievements of the past 'captains of industry' to borrow a continue to produce manpower we have to address this deficiency. current misnomer, lies one of the problems that militate against For example we need to reorganise our undergraduate curriculum the protection of buildings of historical importance as well as the to include courses on creative and performing arts preservation of this most enduring and visible achievement of the family patriach. In addition to creating know-ledgeable practitioners and culture clientele, we have to" actively begin to search for effective Within the context of colonial economy, men like Hon. A. and functional ways to foster the culture of awareness among W.U. Thomas and Hon. Herbert Pearse made their fortunes in decision makers, administrators and the wider public which commerce; they built elegant residences and invested on landed insists on shaping its own environment. properties rather than in manufacturing. Investment on rental properties remained the most assured and only viable areas of 1985-1993 Renaissance investment open to them. Today, it is still the only investment that This period beginning in 1 986 through 1 990 will probably can be totally individually owned. Even where, as in Devode go down in history as one of the periods of high profile private Branco's will, he stipulated that the house he had lived in on investment in the built environment. Kakawa Street should never be sold. (Cunha, 1 987; 1 82); the pressure of the governors, the lure of financial compensation Public Parks & spaces: and the rights of heirs to survival are often too strong to resist. private Vs Public Interest. With Park View Estate III now fully built, all of old Ikoyi As a consequence, our pattern of urban development Park, a public park, has finally been brought under private occupation; Victoria Island and especially, Victoria Island even destroys the best examples of the personal achievement of Extension has been overbuilt; old Ikoyi is being intensely filled in. family patriarchs, distorts the character of the built environment Reclothed and refurbished, even old houses on Victoria Island, as well as their historical context. New buildings are located with Awolowo Road, and Adeniran Ogunsanya appear to be undergoing eclectic renaissance. Left: An illustration with In discussing this period, I am using details on the front view of the Branco House, pulled the term renaissance in as wide a down in I955. context as possible In so far as the current movement liberates the Below left: Illustration on the creative spirit from the doctrinaire Waterhouse. It got its name from a sweet water well in interpretation of the international the compound. styles of the 1950-1 960 decades, it is a Renaissance of sorts; it is lively Below: An illustration on the and enriching, if vulgar in some Waterhouse. places. However, unlike its 16th century antecedent, this renaissance does not restore old and ageing buildings to their original style. It simply erases memories. The current fad, in keeping faith with the trend, obliterates all the traces of the original style. It repackages historical facades with collage of styles with apparent misunderstanding of their symbolic meanings, cultural and contextual relevance, as well as architectonic coherence. Flexible & Mutable Zoning laws and Building Codes Since Governor Jakande
African Quarterly on the Arts Vol.1/Ml encouraged code violations by stipulating financial sanctions and, Governor Akhigbe reconfirmed violations, by increasing the penalty, some landlords have been building shops on setbacks; local governments have also been building shops on the street set backs and verges. On Victoria Island, service industries - banks, finance houses, restaurants, shops, fast food places, bureau dechange and car sales depots - with access to SFEM induced fallout funds, are promoting building code and zoning law violations. Real Property Values: Nigerian Practice Ikoyi, is an early 19th Century low density suburbia. The neighbourhood is a living historical Above: Colonial collection of old residential house type in Ikoyi, Lagos- colonial house types. Each house is located on about a one acre lot. Left: Christ Cathedral Since 1976, the in the 1960s, much altered now. neighbourhood has been subjected to increased land subdivision for additional buildings in order to correct the seeming 'waste of land.' In the last Below: Another five years, it has colonial type with been undergoing sweeping pitch roof. what must be severe labour pains, expanding and bloating the fifteen storey apartments located in the middle of one storey houses. Victoria Island, our low density layout, 1955/58, is anything now but low density residence; continual subdivision has spread access, the current building and rebuilding activities has finally brought the city to this high income, low density dream of the 1960 decade. Victoria Island has finally been transformed into an overbuilt physical slum; an incoherent juxtaposition of building volumes and mixed use; a functional chaos, and a motorist daytime nightmare. A substantial number of the 1960 residences have been renovated to house new banks. Their facades of sleazy mirror glass are adorned behind mannered and bloated classical colonnaded portico which appear to
African Quarterly an the Arts Vol. II NO 3 invokft the confidence of discreet banking reliability. To facilitate on personal linkages. Most of the great and flourishing merchant access, pedestrian sidewalks, setbacks and verges are covered houses of the past have not survived the passing of their family with bituminous materials and cordoned off for, customers' car patriachs. With the expectation of the heirs, their diverse and parking. competing interests, even the historical houses as the most visible achievement of the founding patriarch can only retain its If the jousting taking place on Victoria Island is a 'renaissance importance as a source of income. of sorts', then the Victoria Island extension is a postmodern convulsion. As we all know, the prerogative of the average In the absence of filial commitments to preservation we Nigerian client to be witnessed can induce devastating results. should explore legislation in the cause of preservation. The The Victoria Island Extension is the most expensive disorder in historical building constitutes one single national patrimony that Lagos. will keep alive memories of the family patriachs who inspired the best in builders of their time. Men such asjoao Baptista da Costa Elsewhere in Metropolitan Lagos, the picture is as bleak. and Balthazar dos Reis; Herbert Macaulay, the Surveyor, Civil In Festac Town, the concept of comprehensive masterplan and Engineer and Architect and Bagan Benjamin, the Civil Engineer housing designed in 1975 by Doxiadis Associates, has finally and Architect were master builders, some of whose individual been abandoned with finality. It is being replaced with the ad hoc work became buildings of timeless beauty pattern of development that emphasizes individual plot allocation and the pre-eminence of the administrator as the chief planner. As a teacher and student of architecture, the built In Festac Town, not only are huge and expensive private houses environment constitutes the living laboratory for our learning and being built, the open spaces, the heart of the Doxiadis Community teaching process. To have had the opportunity of meeting Joao structure are being'sold by the Federal Housing Authority for Baptista da Costa, the master builder of Shitta Bey Mosque and private houses. Beyond court injunctions which went unheeded, the old Central Mosque, would have been a rare and an enviable unfortunately, the communities themselves appear to lack the privilege; but to be able to visit the Shitta Bey Mosque is to capacity or courage to bring 'political' pressure to articulate this experience the power and subtleties of the creative powers of gross environmental abuse by the very Authority charged with the Joao Baptista, and to confront the aristocracy of his work. To responsibility for protecting the public spaces. achieve that quintessential level of excellence as he did in the Shitta Bey Mosque, is a single minded pursuit of a lifetime study The collapse of the housing programme of the 1975-1 980 and devotion; part self discipline and part self discovery. 3rd Plan in 1 978 has already been noted as a reflection of our incapacity to create a sustainable housing programme. In twenty years of teaching, what has struck me as one of our national failings is that we have so unstructured the system of However if Jakande's Amuwo Odofin housing project is specialization of skill and labour to the extent that, the average indicative of our potential to build and deliver subsidized housing citizen has to be the proverbial jack of all trades and master of to the middle income groups at the state level, Festac Town none, to survive in this culture. reflects our most glaring failure to manage public housing programme at the Federal level. Cultural Tourism
In a 1 988 paper, I suggested the preparation of Land Use We Nigerians have reputation as travellers. If you belong Design Reference Guide for Metropolitan Lagos. This Guide will to the generation that graduated professionally in the early 1 960 provide information base for physical changes, service line and decade, you were, in all probability, educated abroad. If you property tax, as well as an effective administrative tool for have visited or lived in London, you must have passed through physical control. In addition the process of updating the guide Trafalgar Square, by that monument to Lord Nelson, which book on periodic basis by aerial or satelite photography will commemorates one shining moment in English history. provide an irrefutable check on the work of the physical control You are also probably familiar with the Hyde Park, that field inspectors. expanse of greenery in the heart of the city. A friend once One of the reasons for our inability to sustain the strict remarked that if Nigerians as a group predominate in the English seperation of residential from business neighbourhood is due to society, that sort of park could not survive. It would be allocated our culture and the structure of our economy. To the extent that and built upon. Well, this phenomenon, is happening to the the average government allocation for housing is by and large neighbourhood parks at Festac town and Agbara Estate. It also exploited for its investment potential, and treated as a 'commercial' happened to Ikoyi Park; Park View Estate I under Governor development, two houses on an average plot has come to typify Johnson and Estate II under Governor Jakande. The Biological most government layouts. As we are all painfully aware, this Garden which was designed under the administration of Governor changes density configuration, and continually places undue Mudashiru, was also predictably shared for housing under emphasis on the potential investment value of land as one single Governor Rasaki. With the publication in the Guardian of major source of assured income from rental space. November 2nd 1993 of legal action instituted by Governor Otedola against the Federal Government and others, the park Heirs & Patriachs and Expectations site at Osborne Road appears to have been shared out to private housing. Unlike investment in industries where the quality of goods manufactured is likely to ensure continuity of the market, In Agraa, India, the Taj Mahal (1630-1 653) is considered commercial buying and selling based mostly on imports, depends to be one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. To walk its
African Quarterly on the Am Vol.11 NO 3 • LBMDOKA ravtaw uninspiring building as well as the inspirational impact of the grounds is to experience its ethereal quality and the ambience of work of excellence transcends the time-space continuum. 1he majestic solitude of this mausoleum. The Mogul Emperor Shah Jehan, had it built to the memory of his favourite wife, Mumtaz- It is this that is so remarkable about historical monuments i-Mahal. Built with translucent marble, the Taj 'as generations of and places. Let us join forces to protect our public buildings, our visitors attest, is blue at dawn, white at noon and the yellow of city parks and private buildings of historical importance. Without the sky at sunset.' (Hoag, 1977; I 84) the past, the future can really have no meaning, and that is the significance of tradition. GR To walk the St. Peters Piazza in Rome is to step back in space and time to the 16th through the 17th century; the'intention of Pope Julius II' and the work of generations of masterbuilders Footnotes from Bramante (1506) peaking to Michael Angelo (1546) and culminating in the noble entrance by Bernini (1956-67). Yet ). The public Planning Review Board was instituted by the Government inspite of the span of time and the various ideas, St. Peters and of Lagos State during the tenure of Governor Mudasniru, it was part of the its setting is remarkably focused around a central idea. recommendation made by the Judicial Panel on the Lagoon City project.
In this country, we espouse tourism. The last State 2. The location of the Portuguese and Saro towns were buffer as well as Commissioner for Trade and Tourism under the Akhigbe-Rasaki transition zones between indigenous Lagos to the north, north and north administratiorfs commissioned a number of monuments: One of west and the British Colonial institutional areas which stretched south Herbert Macaulayin two locations and the three white cap chiefs West to the old Niger House on Broad Street and Marina, and through in white marble at the toll gate are some of the bright ideas that Onikan to Ikoyi Island on the north east skirting the Hausa constabulary have emerged on the landscape. However the locations and in Obalande. setting are most insensitive. I have often wondered about our built environment, the children growing up in the city, and the values 3. Elephanthouse in reference is notto be confused with Elephant house, we expect them to imbibe from the buildings around them. What 1973, on Ikorodu Road, or the Elephant house 199 1 (Fola Alade) in values do we teach them about our heritage? Which buildings of Agidingbi for the cement manufacturers. On its location now stands the the past do we point out as landmarks? Which values make 20 storey Elephant House 1983 (Modulor Group}. heroes of the past in our professions? What are the measures of 4. Within the last two decades, three historical buildings have been their achievement? When we invite our foreign friends, especially known to have been preserved for new use. our professional friends from abroad, which places, public parks and buildings do we take them to see? Which of these buildings i. Art's Place 1978; residence of Gbemi Alade Circa 1930 on City do we tell them expresses our worthiest and most remarkable Way, Yaba. Renovation Architect, David Aradeon 1978, achievements? ii. Offices... 1985 residence of Circa 25, Igbosere Road, Lagos The search for excellence, the preservation of examples of Island designed by Herbert Macaulay, Renovation Architect / 985. that excellence, the acknowledgement of our professional predecessors, some of whose buildings truly represent the best of Hi. Office for the Leventis Foundation; Residence of Dr. Lump KinCirca their times are the monuments of all times; this is the context within 1880, at 8/1 OAbibu Oki Street, Lagos Island. Renovation Architect, John which I wish to espouse the cause of preservation. The lessons of Godwin.
Back issues available GLENDORA upon request-
GLENDORA REVIEW F C B.i •;.'•;''4 Falomo. Lagos. Nigeria Tel LAGOS 2692762 Fax-LAGOS 2618083
Afrumn Quarterly en the Arts VU1/N03 The Idumota elotk tower, and war memorial SOJA IDUMOTA' to the left in the background
Independent Celebration at Tinubu Square, note the tower of the Methodist Church, which has since been removed.
African Quarterly on the Am Vol.1/NO 3